It is not unusual to become derailed by internal thoughts or external distractions, particularly when reading something uninteresting or downright boring. You may frequently find that you are losing your place or skipping words in longer passages, or you might become visually distracted by all the words on the page. You may have trouble identifying and remembering the main points of what you've just read, or you may simply zone out and become sleepy while reading.
Reading tasks may feel that they take forever, especially if you are finding that you have to read and re-read (and re-read again) in order to process the information accurately. Luckily, there are some strategies that you can try when reading and remembering seems nearly impossible.
Tips for Reading and Remembering
- Read aloud instead of silently.
- Walk or pace around while you read.
- Take brief breaks for movement.
- Use audio books, or have someone read to you.
- Talk about what you have just read. Discuss it with a friend, or just talk aloud to yourself.
- Use colorful highlighter pens to underscore main points.
- Take notes while reading, then go back and summarize main points.
- Use a bookmark or ruler to slide down the page as you read each line, so you don't lose your place.
- If you have a large amount of reading to do, divide the material up into smaller more manageable chunks, then take a break and reward yourself after each section.
- Figure out what works best for you -- a quiet reading area or one with some background noise.
- Keep a pad of paper nearby. If you get distracted by internal thoughts, jot down the thought in order to remember it and get back to it at a later time. Once you have jotted the thought down, set it aside for later.
